Image pickup apparatus and method of controlling same

ABSTRACT

In a period of time during which an image effect is being selected, a synthesized image in which the selected image effect is synthesized to an input image is generated and the operation of the image effect of the synthesized image is automatically and repeatedly displayed, thereby allowing the user to check what kind of operation the currently-selected fade function is before recording.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus and a methodof controlling the same, and relates to for example, a technique that issuitable when used in controlling the image pickup apparatus such as avideo camera having a function of performing image effect of fadeprocessing and the like on a recording signal or a reproduced signal.

2. Related Background Art

Conventionally, as an image effect, fade effects such as fade-in inwhich the entire screen first gradually appears on the imaging screenfrom a white screen or a black screen as time passes and then the entireimage which is being output from image pickup element (through image)appears, and a fade-out in which the through image first appears andgradually changes to end in the white screen or the black screen as timepasses are known.

Such fade function includes a function in which the fade-in operation isnot performed until the recording medium is set in the camera main body,the fade function selected by the user from a plurality of fadefunctions is set to an enabled state, and the photographed image isrecorded.

However, conventionally, since the image effect process of fade, wipeand the like selected by the user is performed only after the recordingmedium such as tape is inserted and the photographed image is recorded,the operation of fade effect selected before photograph recording couldnot be checked. Thus, it was difficult to determine which effect carriesout what kind of operation, when the image effect is selected, and theimage photographed using the fade effect the user did not intend may berecorded.

When the image effect process such as the selected fade, wipe and thelike is applied during recording, a series of image effect operationsare performed in real time during photographing, and thus it takes along time until the user is able to check the operation of the selectedimage effect.

Further, in order to check the operation of the image effect, the actualrecordation must be performed, and the procedures of selecting andsetting a desired effect from a plurality of actual image effects andthen recording must be carried out, and thus it takes a long time untila desired fade function is selected and thus the photographer may missan important scene.

According to the present invention, the check on what kind of operationthe fade function currently selected performs can be made in a shortperiod of time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An image pickup apparatus according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention includes image input unit which inputs an image; image effectselection unit which selects an arbitrary image effect; synthesizedimage generation unit which generates a synthesized image in which theselected image effect is synthesized to the image input by the imageinput unit; and controlling unit which, when the arbitrary image effectis selected by the image effect selection unit, effects control so as toautomatically and repeatedly display the operation of the image effectof the synthesized image in a period of time during which the imageeffect is being selected.

As configured above, the photographer is able to check, beforerecording, the operation of the image effect such as fade function orthe like that is currently being selected and thus is able to rapidlyand easily perform the selection of the desired image effect.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method ofcontrolling an image pickup apparatus comprises: an image input step forinputting an image; an image effect selection step for selecting anarbitrary image effect; an image effect synthesis step for synthesizingthe image effect to the image input in the image input step; and acontrolling step for, when the arbitrary image effect is selected by theimage effect selection step, effecting control so as to automaticallyand repeatedly display the selected image effect operation in a periodof time during which the image effect is being selected.

Further, according to another embodiment, a program for causing acomputer to execute a method of controlling an image pickup apparatuscan be provided, the method comprising: an image input step forinputting an image; an image effect selection step for selecting anarbitrary image effect; an image effect synthesis step for synthesizingthe image effect to the image input in the image input step; and acontrolling step for, when the arbitrary image effect is selected by theimage effect selection step, effecting control so as to automaticallyand repeatedly display the selected image effect operation in a periodof time during which the image effect is being selected.

Further, according to another embodiment, a storage mediumcomputer-readably stores the above-described computer program isrecorded.

Other aims and features of the present invention will be apparent fromthe following description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram explaining a configuration example of an imagepickup apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a camerasignal processing circuit;

FIG. 3 is comprised of FIGS. 3A and 3B showing flow charts explainingthe operation of a system controller according to the presentembodiment;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are characteristic diagrams showing the fade operationduring recording and the fade demonstration operation according to thepresent embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a flow chart explaining the operation of the system controllerduring recording.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment

FIG. 1 shows one example of an image pickup apparatus of the presentinvention.

In FIG. 1, the reference numeral 1 is a lens for performing focusing andzooming operations. The light that has passed through the lens 1 isimaged on the imaging plane of a CCD 2 of an image pickup element andphotoelectrically converted to an electric signal by the CCD 2. Thephotoelectrically converted imaging signal is read from the CCD 2 by thereference clock, and sampled/held at a camera pre-process circuit 3.Simultaneously, the signal is controlled to a suitable gain by thesystem controller 5 and then A/D converted.

In the camera pre-process circuit 3, the A/D converted image signal isthen sent to a camera signal processing circuit 4. In the camera signalprocessing circuit 4, various signal processes are performed on theinput image signal to generate the image data.

A system controller 5 is controlling means for controlling the entireimage pickup apparatus. A recording and reproducing apparatus 6 is anapparatus for recording the image data output from the camera signalprocessing circuit 4 on a recording medium (not shown) of the recordingand reproducing apparatus 6 and reproducing the image data recorded onthe recording medium.

A fade effect selection switch 7 is a switch for selecting an arbitraryfade function from a plurality of fade functions. A fade function ON/OFFswitch 8 is an ON/OFF switch for turning ON or OFF the fade functionselected by the fade function selection switch 7. A monitor 9 is aliquid crystal monitor to which synthesized the recorded or reproducedimage data and fade are output. An external output 10 is an externaloutput circuit for outputting the recorded or reproduced image on atelevision and the like.

A process of synthesizing the fade effect to the photographed image datawill now be explained using the block diagram of the signal processingcircuit 41 of FIG. 2.

The light that has passed through the lens 1 is converted by the imagepickup element CCD 2 and the output image signal is input to thepre-process circuit 3. The input image signal is subjected tosampling/holding, AGC (Auto Gain Control), and AD conversion at thepre-process circuit 3, and thus converted to the digital image data. Thedigitalized image data is then input to the signal processing circuit 41and subjected to various signal processes such as AWB (Auto WhiteBalance) process, gamma correction and the like. In a feature circuit42, a synthesized image in which a predetermined fade process isperformed on the input photographed image data is generated. Thefade-processed image which is being output from image pickup element(through image) is transferred to a display block and a recording andreproducing apparatus, and recorded on the recording medium. The throughimage synthesized with the fade effect is also displayed on the monitor9.

Even when synthesizing the fade effect on the photographed image datanot only during photographing but also during reproduction, the featurecircuit 42 performs similar processes as above. That is, the reproducedimage data read from the recording medium (not shown) included in therecording and reproducing apparatus is input to the feature circuit 42and subjected to a predetermined fade process. The synthesized imagedata subjected to the fade process is then displayed on the monitor 9 oroutput to the external display apparatus such as television from theexternal output 10.

The operation example of the system controller 5 in the fade process(fade-out effect will be explained by way of example) during the normalphotograph recording will now be explained with reference to FIG. 5.

When the power is turned on, the system controller 5 starts the processfrom step S300. The processes from step S300 to step S312 are repeatedlyperformed at a constant period while the power is turned on.

The process proceeds from step S300 to the next step S301, wheredetermination of whether it is a fade selection completion waiting statein which the arbitrary fade effect is selectable from the menu screen offade function during photograph recording, is made. When not in the fadeselection completion waiting state as a result of the determination, theprocess proceeds to step S312 and the current process is ended withoutperforming any process.

When in the fade selection completion waiting state as a result of thedetermination of step S301, the process proceeds to step S302 wheredetermination of whether the fade function is turned ON or not is made.When the fade function is turned ON as a result of such determination,the process proceeds to step S303. If the fade function is turned OFF,the process proceeds to step S312 and the present process is ended.

In step S303, determination of whether the fade level counter iscounting or not is made. If the fade level counter is counting, as aresult of the determination, the process proceeds to step S309 and ifthe fade level counter is not counting, the process proceeds to stepS304.

In step S304, determination of whether the Record (REC) button isdepressed once, that is, whether recordation is started or not is made,and if not depressed, the process proceeds to step S312 and the presentprocess is ended. If the REC button is depressed, as a result of thedetermination of step S304, the process proceeds to step S305 in arecording started state. In this step, the fade level counter is countedup, and the fade process of synthesizing the fade effect onto the inputimage is performed. The process then proceeds to step S306.

In step S306, determination of whether the fade level counter is greaterthan or equal to “a predetermined value X” is made. If the fade levelcounter is smaller than or equal to X, as a result of the determination,the process proceeds to step S312 and the present process is ended. Ifthe fade level counter is greater than X as a result of thedetermination of step S306, the fade-out effect is applied over apredetermined time by the counter. The process then proceeds to stepS307 where the fade level counter is initialized (0×00), and thenproceeds to step S308 where the fade function is turned OFF. Thereafter,the process proceeds to step S312, and the present process is ended.

In step S309, determination of whether or not the REC button isdepressed again is made. If the REC button is not depressed again, theprocesses from step S305 to step S308 are performed as explained above,the fade-out process is performed over a predetermined time, and theprocess then proceeds to step S312 and the present process is ended.

If it is determined that the REC button is depressed, as a result of thedetermination of step S309, since recordation is stopped halfway, theprocess proceeds to step S310 where the fade level counter isinitialized (0×00). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S311 wherethe fade function is turned OFF. Subsequently, the process proceeds tostep S312 and the present process is ended.

Although FIGS. 3A and 3B explain the processing procedures of fade-out,fade-in is achieved by counting down the fade level counter to below“initial value X”. Further, the above mentioned fade level counter is acounter for synchronizing the level of the fade effect with a countervalue and varying the same by incrementing or decrementing the counterfor every constant period.

Conventionally, as mentioned above, since the photographer could notfind out what kind of operation the selected fade effect is, until thefade selection operation of step S301, the fade ON operation of stepS302, and the REC button depression operation of step S304 areimplemented and the image synthesized with the fade effect and recordedwas checked, it will take a plurality of operations and much time untilphotograph recording with the desired fade effect can be started. Thisis the problem of the prior art.

The present embodiment will now be explained.

The operation of the system controller 5 of a feature of the presentembodiment will now be explained using the flow charts of FIGS. 3A and3B.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the system controller 5 starts theprocesses from step S400 when the power is turned on. The processes fromstep S400 to step S420 are repeatedly performed at a constant periodwhile the power of the image pickup apparatus is turned on.

The process then proceeds from step S400 to the next step S401 wheredetermination of whether under fade effect selection or not is made.When not under fade effect selection as a result of the determination,the process proceeds to step S419 where the fade demonstration operationis stopped, and thereafter, proceeds to step S420 where the presentprocess is ended. When an arbitrary fade effect is selected when thephotographed image is in recording or in reproduction and the selectedfade effect is decided by a decision button and the like, the fadedemonstration process is ended and then moved on to photograph recordingor reproducing process. The fade demonstration operation is an operationthat repeats either the fade-in or the fade-out at a time shorter thanthe fade actual recording and performs a predetermined wait whenswitching between fade-in and fade-out.

When under fade selection as a result of the determination of step S401,the process proceeds to step S402 where determination of whether thefade selection is changed or not is made. When the fade selection ischanged as a result of the determination of step S402, the processproceeds to step S418 where the fade demonstration level counter and thewait counter are initialized, and thereafter, the process proceeds tostep S420 where the present process is ended.

If, on the other hand, the fade selection is not changed as a result ofthe determination of step S402, the process proceeds to step S403, andthe data of demonstration of the selected fade are retrieved. Theretrieved data are the upper limit counter limit value (Upper limit),the lower limit counter limit value (Lower limit), the counter step, andthe wait for switching between fade-out and fade-in, for comparison withthe fade level counter.

The process then proceeds to step S404 where the fade demonstrationoperation is started. Next, the process proceeds to step S405, anddetermination is made whether the fade level counter is counting down ornot. If the fade level counter is not counting down as a result of thedetermination, the process proceeds to step S412 and when counting downin step S405, the process proceeds to step S406.

As a result of the determination of step S406, determination of whetherthe fade level counter is greater than the lower limit counter limitvalue is made, and if greater than the lower limit counter limit value,the process proceeds to step S407 where number of counted steps issubtracted from the fade level counter. The process then proceeds tostep S408 where the wait counter for switching between fade-in andfade-out is set. The process then proceeds to step S420 and the presentprocess is ended.

If the fade level counter is smaller than or equal to the limit counterlimit value as a result of the determination of step S406, the processproceeds to step S409, and determination is made whether the waitcounter is greater than “0”.

If the wait counter is greater than “0” as a result of the determinationof step S409, the process proceeds to step S410 where the wait counteris decremented by one. The process then proceeds to step S420 and thepresent process is ended.

If the wait counter is less than or equal to “0” as a result of thedetermination of step S409, the process proceeds to step S411 where thefade level is switched over to up-count. The process then proceeds tostep S420 after step S411 and the present process is ended.

With regards to the operations up to this point, the number of steps issubtracted from the fade level counter until the fade level counterreaches the lower limit counter limit value, to perform the fade-inoperation. When the fade level counter reaches the lower limit counterlimit value, the fade level counter is maintained until the wait counterreaches “0”, and then a predetermined wait operation is performed. Afterthe wait operation is finished, the fade level counter is switched overto up-count.

If the fade level counter is not counting down that is, when countingup, as a result of the determination of step S405, the process proceedsto step S412 where determination is made whether the fade level counteris greater than the upper limit counter limit value.

If the fade level counter is smaller than the upper counter limit valueas a result of the determination of step S412, the process proceeds tostep S413 where the fade level counter is incremented by the number ofsteps and then proceeds to step S414 where setting of the wait counterfor switching between fade-in and fade-out is performed. Thereafter, theprocess proceeds to step S420 and the present process is ended.

If the fade level counter is greater than or equal to the upper limitcounter limit value as a result of the determination of step S412, theprocess proceeds to step S415 where determination is made whether thewait counter is greater than “0”.

If the wait counter is greater than “0” as a result of the determinationof step S415, the process proceeds to step S416 where the wait counteris decremented by one and then proceeds to step S420 where the presentprocess is ended.

If the wait counter is less than or equal to “0” as a result ofdetermination of step S415, the process proceeds to step S417, and thefade level counter is switched over to down-count. Thereafter, theprocess proceeds to step S420 and the present process is ended.

With regards to the operations up to this point, the fade level counteris incremented by number of steps until the fade level counter reachesthe upper limit counter limit value, to perform the fade-out operation.When the fade level counter reaches the upper limit counter limit value,a predetermined wait operation is performed while maintaining the fadelevel counter until the wait counter reaches 0. When the wait operationis finished, the fade level counter is switched over to down-count.

As explained above, when under the fade selection state in the presentembodiment, the fade level counter is subjected to the down-count tosubtract number of steps for every predetermined period until lowerlimit counter limit. When the counter is less than or equal to the lowerlimit counter, wait for a predetermined wait counter time is switchedover to up-count to add number of steps for every predetermined perioduntil upper limit counter limit. When the counter is greater than orequal to the upper limit counter, the operations of waiting for apredetermined wait counter time, and switching over to down-count arerepeated.

When changing the fade item during fade selection, that is, during thefade operation, the fade level counter and the wait counter areinitialized in step S418, so that the fade operation starts from theinitial state in the next selected fade. In this way, the fade effectcan be checked by turning on the fade operation during the fadeselection, and thus it becomes possible to instantaneously determinewhich fade to use.

In the above described embodiment, fade-in and fade-out of the fadeeffect are repeated, but when one of them is selected as the fadeeffect, the operations from the start to the end of the selected fademay be automatically repeated.

The difference between the fade operation during recording and the fadeoperation according to the present embodiment is shown in thecharacteristic diagram of FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B. In the fade synthesizingimage operation during recording of FIG. 4A, the fade effect selectedduring photographing is synthesized to be recorded on tape. Byperforming the operation similar to the actual fade operation withoutloading the tape, the fade operation currently being selected can bechecked.

However, the fade effect must actually be synthesized and recordedbefore checking the operation of the fade currently being selected, andthe operation cannot be checked before recording. Further, even whenperforming operation without loading the tape, it must be checked at theactual time of the fade process through several operations, andtherefore it takes a very long time until the photographer finds thefade operation that he/she desires to use.

In fade demonstration according to the present embodiment of FIG. 4B,the fade operation is automatically repeated during fade selection, andthus the photographer is able to see the digest of a time shorter thanthe actual time of the operation of a plurality of fade effects and caninstantaneously select the desired fade effect by simply switching thefade function selection switch 7.

When an arbitrary fade effect is selected with the fade effect selectionswitch 7, if controlled so that the lower limit counter limit value andthe upper limit counter limit value of the most characteristic scene ofthe selected fade operation are selected, the fade effect is more easilyrecognized by the photographer. The lower limit counter limit value andthe upper limit counter limit value of the most characteristic scene aredifferent for each fade effect and thus is formed into a table andstored in a memory (not shown) of the system controller 5.

During reproduction, the reproducing image data read from the recordingmedium (not shown) included in the recording and reproducing apparatusis input to the feature circuit 42 and subjected to a predetermined fadeprocess. The synthesized image data subjected to the fade process isdisplayed on the monitor 9 or output to the external display device suchas television from the external output 10.

When the fade effect is selected during reproduction, the still image ofwhen the reproduction is being paused is input to the feature circuit.Thus, even in the fade processing during reproduction, the fade effectcan be checked without a case where the video image was forwarded whenthe selection of the fade is canceled with the fade demonstration duringselection.

Other Embodiments of the Present Invention

The fade effect as an example of the image effect, is an effect providedwhen a screen is switched over to another screen, and includes wipe-in,puzzle, corner (wipe), zigzag, flip and the like.

Each means configuring the image pickup apparatus according to theembodiment of the present invention and each step of the imaging methodare executed by operating the program stored in a RAM, a ROM and thelike of the computer. The present invention further includes program andcomputer readable storage medium on where the program is recorded.

The present invention may be applied as for example, system, apparatus,method, program, or storage medium, more specifically may be applied toa system configured by a plurality of equipments or may be applied to anapparatus made up of one equipment.

The present invention also includes a case in which it is accomplishedby directly or remotely providing the program (program corresponding tothe flow charts shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B in the embodiment) of thesoftware for realizing the function of the above mentioned embodiment toa system or an apparatus, and reading and executing the provided programcode by the computer of the system or the apparatus.

Therefore, in order to achieve the functional process of the presentinvention with a computer, the program code itself installed in thecomputer also realizes the present invention. That is, the presentinvention includes the computer program itself for realizing thefunctional process of the present invention.

In this case, as long as the function of the program is included, it maytake any form including object code, program executed by an interpreter,script data provided to the OS and the like.

The recording medium for providing the program includes for example, afloppy® disc, a hard disc, an optical disc, a magneto-optical disc, anMO, a CD-ROM, a CD-R, a CD-RW, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memorycard, a ROM, a DVD (a DVD-ROM, a DVD-R) and the like.

In addition, in a method of providing the program, the program may beprovided by connecting to the web page of an internet using a browser ofa client computer, and downloading the computer program itself or thefile compressed and containing the automatic install feature of thepresent invention from the web page to a recording medium such as a harddisc.

The program code configuring the program of the present invention may bedivided into a plurality of files, and each file may be downloaded froma different web page. That is, the present invention also includes WWWserver for downloading the program file to realize the functionalprocess of the present invention with a computer.

Further, the program of the present invention is encrypted and stored ina recording medium such as a CD-ROM and distributed to the user, andallows the user who has met a predetermined condition to download thekey information for decrypting the encryption from the web page by wayof the internet, and to execute the encrypted program by using the keyinformation and install the same to the computer.

When the computer executes the read program, the function of the abovementioned embodiment is realized, and further, based on the instructionof the program, the OS operating on the computer and the like, performsa part of or all of the actual process, which process also realizes thefunction of the above mentioned embodiment.

After the program read from the recording medium is written to thememory arranged in a function expansion board inserted to the computeror the function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on theinstruction of the program, the CPU and the like of the functionexpansion board or the function expansion unit performs a part of or allof the actual processes, which process also realizes the function of theabove mentioned embodiment.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments andvarious changes and modifications can be made within the spirit andscope of the present invention. Therefore to apprise the public of thescope of the present invention, the following claims are made.

This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No.2004-374767 filed on Dec. 24, 2004, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein.

1. An image pickup apparatus comprising: image input unit which inputsan image; image effect selection unit which selects an arbitrary imageeffect; synthesized image generation unit which generates a synthesizedimage in which the selected image effect is synthesized to the imageinput by the image input unit; and controlling unit which, when thearbitrary image effect is selected by the image effect selection unit,effects control so as to automatically and repeatedly display theoperation of the image effect of the synthesized image in a period oftime during which the image effect is being selected.
 2. The imagepickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein during the period ofselection of the image effect by the image effect selection unit, thecontrolling unit repeatedly displays a synthesized image of acharacteristic portion of the operation of the image effect.
 3. Theimage pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein operation executingtime of the image effect when selecting the image effect by the imageeffect selection unit is shorter than executing time after the imageeffect is selected.
 4. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1,wherein when selecting an arbitrary image effect from a plurality ofdifferent image effects by the image effect selection unit, executingtimes of the different image effects differs from each other.
 5. Theimage pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image effect isa fade effect including at least one of fade-in and fade-out.
 6. Theimage pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein one of fade-in andfade-out is alternately repeated at a constant period when selecting thefade effect including fade-in or fade-out by the image effect selectionunit.
 7. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 5, wherein thefade executing time of fade-in or fade-out of when selecting the fadeeffect by the image effect selection unit is shorter than the executingtime of the fade effect after the fade effect is selected.
 8. The imagepickup apparatus according to claim 6, wherein wait of a constant timeis performed while maintaining a fade level when switching betweenfade-in and fade-out, when selecting the fade effect by the image effectselection unit.
 9. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 5,wherein when selecting an arbitrary fade effect from a plurality ofdifferent fade effects by the image effect selection unit, the fadeoperation executing time of the different fade effects differs from eachother.
 10. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 5, wherein whenselecting the fade effect by the image effect selection unit, fade startlevel and fade end level are different for each fade effect.
 11. Theimage pickup apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when switching overto another fade effect when selecting the fade effect with the imageeffect selection unit, the fade operation starts from an initial stateof fade-out or fade-in.
 12. The image pickup apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the image input unit inputs an image output from animage pickup element.
 13. The image pickup apparatus according to claim1, wherein the image input unit inputs a reproduced image read out froma recording medium.
 14. The image pickup apparatus according to claim13, wherein the image input unit inputs an image of when reproduction ofimage is paused.
 15. A method of controlling an image pickup apparatuscomprising: an image input step for inputting an image; an image effectselection step for selecting an arbitrary image effect; a synthesizedimage generation step for generating a synthesized image in which theselected image effect is synthesized to the image input in the imageinput step; and a controlling step for, when the arbitrary image effectis selected by the image effect selection step, effecting control so asto automatically and repeatedly display the image effect operation ofthe synthesized image in a period of time during which the image effectis being selected.
 16. A computer program for causing a computer toexecute a method of controlling an image pickup apparatus, the methodcomprising: an image input step for inputting an image; an image effectselection step for selecting an arbitrary image effect; a synthesizedimage generation step for generating a synthesized image in which theselected image effect is synthesized to the image input in the imageinput step; and a controlling step for, when the arbitrary image effectis selected by the image effect selection step, effecting control so asto automatically and repeatedly display the image effect operation ofthe synthesized image in a period of time during which the image effectis being selected.
 17. A recording medium which computer-readablyrecords the computer program set out in claim 16.